Gibson Falls Just Short In Pba Qualifying

Sports - LAKE BOWLING

Every once in a while, Fiesta Bowl professional Tom Gibson makes the leap from the small pond and takes his best swim in the national tour stop waters.

Gibson took that swim with the sharks this past week, attempting to qualify as one of the best 120 bowlers in the world for the Pro Bowlers Association's Comfort Inn Open.

The good news is that the multiple-time Lake County Bowler of the Year bowled well, finishing at plus 8 (pins above 200 average) and placed 29th in the rabbit squad qualifier.

The bad news is that only the top 20 bowlers made the field of 120 and the field for the combination PBA and PBA Senior event.

''I was at the gutter at the start, and for the first four games, I was only at minus 2,'' said Gibson, who consistently averages in the 220 range in various leagues. ''Then I moved inside and immediately shot 230, 240. I just moved in too late.''

With tournament play beginning on Tuesday night, Gibson intended to make the trip back to Tampa and fill an alternate's role, waiting in the bowler's paddock for a possible opening. Even if Gibson isn't lucky enough to slip into the field, there still is no shame in being 29th in the world.

The legislative scorecard from the American Bowling Congress Convention has been posted, and the summary shows most new proposals going down to defeat.

Included in that list of failed amendments are rules changes that would have allowed either-hand deliveries in scratch leagues and would have awarded points automatically when forfeits occurred.

Other proposals would have limited 100-pins-over- average awards to games with less than 11 strikes in a row.

Amendments that passed include those that limit 150-pins-over series and senior-125-over series and 75-over games to one award per year, permits substitutes of either gender in mixed leagues and allows teams to bowl unopposed for pre- or post-bowled games.

Some amendments require action at the Women's International Bowling Congress Convention in Reno, Nev., next week.

Thurman Carter fired the high-league game of the week with a 278 at Classique Center, but it was Jeff Allen at AMF Leesburg who nailed the only 700 series of the week, a 715.

Marilou Van Scoit had the high women's game.

Van Scoit shot a 254 at Fiesta, while a 636 series by June Heitmuller at AMF Leesburg topped the series list.

In the junior ranks, Mike Perrico and Kenny Teston each shot 212 games, and Perrico put together a 550 series. Missy Weiss' 203 game and Nicole Erler's 511 series were best for the girls, while Dustin Palmer was best of the bantam/prep divisions with a 175 game and a 398 series.